Voces de la Frontera to Ryan: Keep Families Together

A small group of about 25 people gathered Friday afternoon at Monument Square to urge Congressman Paul Ryan to stay the course on immigration reform.

Specifically, members of Voces de la Frontera and YES (Youth Empowered in the Struggle) want Ryan to keep backing reforms that keep families together, and they delivered a petition with over 7,000 signatures to Ryan's Racine office to back their point.

Kevin Seifert, a spokesperson for Ryan, responded by saying, "Congressman Ryan has spoken about the need for immigration reforms that address the approximately 11 million undocumented individuals already here and that do so in a way that respects the rule of law."

They also asked Ryan to stop using terms like "anchor babies," because doing so only fires up the reform opposition. Liberal blog ThinkProgress.com posted video of Ryan using the term in his answer to a constituent's question during his listening session in Burlington. 

"We want to stay supportive of Rep. Ryan, but using this term is a setback and doesn't help promote good dialogue," said Cecilia Anguiano of Voces.

In response, Seifert said, “As he stated at eight town hall meetings throughout the First Congressional District, Congressman Ryan is diligently working with a bipartisan group of members in the House of Representatives to develop lasting, meaningful reforms to our broken immigration system. He appreciates the input he has received from Wisconsin residents, including representatives from Voces de la Frontera, as these discussions continue.”